1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Development of a culture apparatus has been proceeding, which appropriately controls for example, e.g., temperature, humidity, and efficiently cultivates a culture such as a cell.
In the culture apparatus, a plurality of containers each containing a culture are stored in a storage rack. At the start and the end of culturing and when checking on a culture, the containers are taken out from the storage rack, are stored in the storage rack, and are moved, using a carrier device configured to move in the culture apparatus.
At such times, a culture in the containers is easily affected by shaking, and in addition, if the culture liquid spills from the container, the inside of the culture apparatus is contaminated. Therefore, the carrier device carries and stores the containers in such a manner that shaking and inclination do not occur.
Various techniques have been developed to prevent the shaking and misalignment that occurs when such items are stored in the storage rack (see, e.g., Japanese Patent publication No. 3601178).
Today, research and development are actively conducted using cells in various fields such as the medical care, agriculture, and drug discovery.
In order to enable more efficient handling of a greater number of cultures, such a culture apparatus is required that stores containers each containing a culture in a rack referred to as a “stacker” in a multi-story manner, and that is capable of storing the containers into the storage rack, taking out them from the storage rack, and moving them, by the stacker as a unit.
In this case, the carrier device in the culture apparatus is required to have the ability to handle the containers one by one, and in addition, the ability to handle the stacker, which is loaded with the containers, and all.
However, if the carrier device is manufactured to be robust so that shaking and vibration do not occur even when the stacker fully loaded with the containers is carried and stored in the storage rack, the carrier device increase in size. Thus, when storing each of the containers into the stacker using the carrier device, it is necessary to increase intervals among the containers in the stacker so as to prevent interference between other containers stored in the stacker and the carrier device. Therefore, the storage efficiency of the containers in the stacker is degraded.
Similarly, it is also required to be capable of carrying the containers into the culture apparatus, carrying and storing the containers into the storage rack in the culture apparatus, and carrying the containers out from the culture apparatus, by the stacker as a unit.